Monday, December 6, 2010

Fewer Clevelanders Being Murdered This Year

Good for you, Cleveland. You're killing fewer people this year than at any point in the last decade and possibly the last half century. Congratulations for keeping the sanity.

According to the Plain Dealer, there have been just 66 homicides to date in the 2010 calendar year, the lowest since 2000. The Cleveland police are taking full credit for this, naturally, bragging that they're keeping the city safe despite having 381 fewer officers on the streets than at the dawn of the aughts. It's a good PR moment and one they probably couldn't pass up, we suppose.

The year-to-date total of 66 is three shy of the 50-year low, according to records compiled by the city's Public Safety Department. Homicides dropped to the second-lowest level — 75 — in 2000.

Flask attributed the decline in homicides to smart police work, patrols by gun-suppression teams and a regular analysis of crime statistics by Police Chief Michael McGrath.

"Once a week, McGrath examines all the crimes reported in the city," he said. "He breaks them down to specific neighborhoods, notes when they occur and determines hot spots. Then deploys police in those areas."

In case you were curious, 2007 saw 134 homicides and 2009 had 122.

Three weeks left in the year, folks. Here's to hoping that number stays at 66.